Sublimating apparatus



April 2, 1946. A. OGREN I SUBLIMATING APPARATUS Filed July 19, 1944 f2 Sheets-Sheet l April 2, 1946. A. OGREN l SUBLIMATING APPARATUS Fuga July 19. 1944 2 sheets-sheet" 2 wm@ .nnaunoaoa-auLbeAlmVoelcoyLou-aandh Patented Apr. 2, 1946 UNITED STATES PATENT-OFFICEA SUBLIMATIN G APPARATUS Arthur Ogren, Hillsdale, N. Y. Application July 1.9, 1944, Serial No. 545,718

(Cl. 26S-19) use in extracting magnesium, it will be under- 12 Claims.

This invention relates to apparatus for the extraction of material from its ore by sublimation, such as the extraction of metallic magnesium' from lime ore containing magnesium. The invention is especially suitable for the. extraction of metallic magnesium. According to chemical reactions well known to the art, said lime ore is first mixed with other ingredients such as iron silicon salts and iiuorspar. The mixture is made into briquettes about the size and shape of walnuts and placed into paper bags holding about 50 lbs. each. The bags are then pushed into a row of fixed retorts, fourbags to a retort, said retorts being mounted in a gas heated furnace. With the retorts so charged, the briquettes are cooked, the magnesium coming off as a vapor which is condensed in a cooling chamber. In forcing the bags into the retorts, some of the retorts often are completely filled, so that during the cooking, the magnesium vapor is blocked from escaping forward to the cooling chamber. Because the vapor cannot escape it remains in the briquettes and is lost when the latter are cleaned out of the retorts after the cooking is completed. It requires much effort to scrape out the burned briquettes from the retorts when making them ready for a fresh charge.

In my apparatus instead of loading fixed retorts with bags of briquettes, a removable inner tube is used in the retort. The tube is loaded without the use of bags, while outside of the retort, and then inserted therein.. A special carriage is providedwhich travels on rails running transversely of the furnace.

On the carriage is a hopper for the charge with a chute leading down therefrom for charging a tube by gravity instead of jamming bags of briquettes therein. The carriage is provided with motor driven means for inserting and withdrawing an inner tube from the retort opposite which it is set. A pivotally mounted guide is supported on the carriage for supporting a tube after it has been Withdrawn. When once withdrawn, the guide with the tube on it is tilted to discharge the spent materials from it into an ash pit.

The inner tube is provided witha longitudinal slot. This, combined with the fact that the tube is rst withdrawn from the retort before being charged, makes it possible to provide a perforated tubular core for the inner tube, which core insures the passage, from the tube, of the magnesium vapor during cooking to the condensing sleeve located outside of the retort in a water cooled chamber.

Whereas the apparatus has been described for stood that it can be used for the extraction of other materials where conditions are similar. Where the term furnace is used, it will be understood to include heating means of any suitable type, where consistent with the context.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent upon further study of the description and drawings in which:

Fig.- l is an elevation of the device with the furnace shown in section and before the inner tube is withdrawn.

Fig. 2 is an elevation similar to that of Fig. 1, but shows the inner tube withdrawn. The discharge position of the inner tube and its support is shown in dotted lines.

Fig. 3 is an elevation of the front of the furnace with a portion omitted which elevation is taken along the line 3--3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a section taken along the line 4 4 of Figs, 1 and 6. .t

Fig. 5 is a section taken along the line 5-5 of Figs. 1 and 6.

Fig. 6 is an elevation of the Without the furnace.

Fig. 7 is a section through the retort, inner tube and cooling chamber to an enlarged scale, the sodium shield being shown in elevation. y

' Fig. 8 is a top plan View of the inner tube shown by itself.

Fig. 9 is a section along the line 9--9 of Fig. 7.

Fig. 10 is a section along the line Ill- I0 of Fig. 7.

Fig. 11 is a partial section to an enlarged scalev showing the head of the cooling chamber and its gasket, and Fig. 12 is an end view, looking to the left in Fig. 7 of the sodium shield.

'Ihe gas furnace I3 has mounted therein a ro ofretorts I4, only four being shown in Fig. 3, but it is customary to use twenty in a row. The

retorts I4 are supported by uprights I5. Retorts I4 project from the front wall of furnace I3, the cooling and condensing chambers being located at the projecting portion as vwill be more fully explained. Mounted in front of the furnace are rails I6 which run parallel to the front wall of furnace I3. A carriage, denoted in its entirety by the numeral Il, is mounted to run on rails I5 in front of the furnace.

The carriage has body members I8v upon which is mounted base plates I9, 20 and 2| for-connecting them. The parts are welded together. Extending upwardly from base'plate I 9 are four linclined uprights 22, Figs. 4 and 6. A p air of uprights 22 supports journal 23 and the other carriage shown v pair supports journal 24. Pivotally mounted in journals 23 and 2,4, by means of trunnions 25 and 26, is a semi-cylindrical guide 21. 'Extending upward from base plate 20 are four uprights 28 which support at their upper ends a platform 29,

3 Figs. 5 and 6. The outer end of trunnion 25 has nxedly mounted on it a lever 30. Another lever i 3| is pivotally mounted on the side of platform 29. Pivotally connected to levers 30 and 3I is a link 32. When it is desired to tilt guide 21, as

shown in dotted lines, Fig. 2, for a purpose to be described, lever 3|. is turned manually in a counter-clockwise direction.

Rotatably mounted in blocks 33, which in turn are set on platform 29, is an idler gear 34 which.

engages rack 31. Also set on platform 29, are

, blocks 35 which support a short shaft 36. Short gaged by chain 45,. said. chain also. engaging sprocket wheel 39, the rotation of which rotates gear 38. The rotation of gear 38 causes longituf dinal. motion of rack 31 to or from furnace I3 depending on the direction. of' rotation of said gear. Also on gear box 43 and driven from motor f 42, issprocket wheel 46.

Body members I8 of carriage ILT have two pairs of cross bars 41 extendingv between and below them and welded to them, BetweentheI members of each pair of cross bars 41 isy rotatably supported a pair of. track. rollers 48,. the latter running on rails I 6. A pair of rollers. 48. is supported. on each axle 49.. AOn one of the axles 49, Figs. 5 and 6, is rlxedly mgunted sprocket. wheel 53. A chain 5|. engages'sprocket wheel 5l) and sprocket wheel 46 on gear box 43., The rotation of sprocket wheel. 56 causes the travel of carriage I1 along the front. of furnace I3...

Extending upward, from base plate 2 I. are uprights. 52 which. support a guide sleeve 53, thev latter'acting asa guide for rack 31 as-itis moved to and from furnace I3.

In conjunction with gear box 43, are the controis', not shown, by which the. direction. of rotations' and their actuation of sprocket'wheels 44` Figs. 1 and 11. A head 64, provided with a groove in which is located gasket 65 seals off the front of the retort. Head 64 is held on by air pressure due to the suction created in retort I4 by the withdrawal of air therefrom through tube 66, the latter being connected to a suction pump, not shown,

Inside each retort I4 is an inner tube 61 removably mounted therein. Tube 61 is provided with. a. longitudinal slot 68. The rear of tube '61" is beveled oif at 69. The forward end of tube 61 has a heat shield 10 welded to it. Projecting from the rear of shield 10, opposite a hole through the shield, is a perforated tube or core 12, supported'. substantially at the axis of the inner tube by short posts 13.

In operation, after cooking the charge held in the inner tube for about eight to nine hours, said inner tube 61 is withdrawn from a retort I4 by the movement of rack 31 away from the frcntof furnace I3 after hook14 on the rear end of rack 31 has been brought into engagement 2, sliding through guide 21 and through guide. Y

sleeve 53. The bore of sleeve 53 is rectangular; Idler gear 34 also supportsl rack 3.1 in its motion, While flanged roller 4I' helps maintain the rack against tilting sidewise and holds it down against and 46 are controlled for the motions of rack` 3-1 and the travel of carriage |1-.

In furnace I3 are supported by posts I5 andv the front wall of the furnace, a row of retorts I4, four of them being shown in Fig. 3. The` forward end. of each retort projects out of fur-- nace t3, the projecting portion forming a cool-` ing chamber, a shell 56 being welded to said por-` tion `to* form a water jacket 59, water being led in through tube 51 and discharged from tube 58. Inside of retort I4, at its cooling chamber portion opposite water jacket 53 is.- condensing cylinder 66, upon the inside of which the metallic gether with guide 21, toV horizontal position by gear 38. `Such tilting is, also prevented by the rectangular bore of. sleeve 53:. When rack 31 is withdrawn from the furnace, inner tube 6.1' is brought into. position to be supported by semicylindrical guide 21. To prevent dislodgement of inner tube 61 from guide 221, a manually operated catch 11 is provided which passes throughr guide 21 into engagement with said inner tube.

When once inner tube 61 is' withdrawn Yand guide 21' asV shown in dotted' lines in Fig. 2. The

tilting is effected by manually movingy levers 30 and 3| and lin-k32 as shown by the. dotted lines until the tilting is sufficient to empty tube 61. Before tilting, hook 'I4 was disengaged from ring After being emptied, tube 61 is restored, to-

properly manipulating levers 3U and 3| and` link 32. A vhopper 19, containing fresh material, is mounted by means of uprights 80, so that spout 8| is in line with slot 68. In order to ll a tube 61' with a fresh. charge, a gate, not shown, is opened in spout 8l so that the material begins to. spill therefrom, and at. theY same time, the controls at the. gear box 43 are sov manipulated that the rack moves toward the furnace,v gradually moving said tube when connected thereto into retort I4 with its. slot 68 passing in line under spout 8l. Condensing cylinder 60 and sodium shield 6I are placed in the retort and head 6.4 applied to flange 62. Head 64 isV held on flange 62 by suction applied through tube 66 at. first by means of a roughing pump, not shown, to remove impurities and then by a diusicn pump, also not shown. The diffusion pump is used merely to build up a vacuum and hold it during the cooking and not for the purpose of drawing off gaseous impurities as with the roughlng pump. The use of these pumps is well known to the art.

With the charged inner tube 61 placed back in the retort I4, it is cooked for eight to nine hours, the magnesium vapor released by the cooking passing through the perforations in tube 12 and the opening in heat shield 'HJ opposite tube l2. Other openings 82 are provided in heat shield through which vapor also passes. From the openings in heat shieldl the vapor 'passes into the cooling chamber portion of retort I4 where it condenses on the inside of cylinder 60,

When the cooking of the charge in another retort l`4 is completed, carriage Il is moved along rails I6 to a position opposite said second retort and the operations just described for a previous retort are repeated on the second retort.

In the claims, the expression for 4the extraction of metal from its ore by sublimationy is used, but it is intended to be broad enough to cover other materials capable of being extracted by the process of sublimation described.

The rear end of inner tube 61 is sloped oil' at an inclination substantially equal to the angle of repose or sliding of the charge to prevent the latter from spilling out.

I claim:

1. An apparatus for the extraction of metal from its ore by sublimation, comprising a furnace, a plurality of retorts mounted in a transverse row in the furnace, an inner tube, removably mounted in each retort, for receiving a charge of the ore and other materials for the extraction of the metal, a carriage mounted to travel only transversely in front ofthe retorts, mechanism on said carriage for withdrawing the tubes from the retorts and pushing them in again, and guide means on the carriage for supporting a tube when withdrawn from its retort said guide means being mounted on the carriage to remain always outside of the retorts.

2. An apparatus for the extraction of metal from its ore by sublimation, comprising a furnace, a retort mounted in the furnace, an inner tube removably mounted in the retort for holding a charge of ore and other materials for the extraction of the metal, mechanism mounted outside of the furnace in front of the retort for withdrawing the tube from the retort and pushing it in again and tiltalbly mounted guide means for receiving the tube when it is withdrawn, said means with the tube being tilted when the latter is withdrawn for discharging the spent charge from the tube.

3. In an apparatus, for the extraction of metal the forward end of the latter, for holding a.

charge of ore and other material for the extraction of the metal and a foraminous tubular core mounted in said tube extending for substantially the length thereof.

4. In an apparatus, for the extraction of metal from its ore by sublimation, having a substantially horizontal retort, and means for heating the retort, an inner tube mounted in the retort and removable through the forward end of the latter, for receiving a charge of the ore and other materials for the extraction of the metal, a closure for the forwardv end of the tube to prevent spilling of the charge from said end, said tube having a longitudinal slot at its top extending from the closure to its rear end, the rear end of the tubebeing open and inclined, extending down from the slot at the top of the tube and rearward, permitting the charge to assume its natural slope without spilling from the rear of the tube.

5. An apparatus. for the extraction of metal from its ore by sublimation, comprising a furnace, a retort mounted in the furnace, an inner tube mounted in the retort and withdrawable through the forward end of the latter for receivinga charge of the ore and other materials for the extraction of the metal, said tube being adapted to permit the discharge of the charge from its rear end when suiciently tilted and mechanism for withdrawing the tube from the retort through the forward end of the latter andy tilting it to discharge the charge from its rear end.

6. In an apparatus for the extraction of metal from its ore by sublimation, a furnace, a plurality of retorts mounted in a transverse row in the furnace, inner tubes, each provided with a longitudinal slot, mounted in the retorts with the slot upward and removable through the forward end of the latter, said tubes adapted to hold the charges of the ore and other materials for the extraction of the metal, a carriage mounted to travel only transversely in front of the retorts, mechanism on the carriage releasably engaging the tubes for pulling them out of and pushing them into the retorts, guide means on the carriage for supporting a tube when withdrawn from its retort, said guide means being mounted on the carriage to remain always outside of the retorts, and a hopper on the carriage with its discharge outlet over the guide means for delivering a charge to a tube through its slot when the tube has been pulled out of its retort.

7. In an apparatus, for the extraction of metal from its ore by sublimation, having a retort and means for heating the retort, an inner tube reg movably mounted in the retort for holding a charge of ore and other materials for the extraction of the metal, said tube being provided with a closure at its forward end and open at the other, said tube also having a longitudinal slot extending substantially from the closure to its open end.

8. In an apparatus, for the extraction of metal from its ore by sublimation, having a, retort and means for heating the retort, an inner tube removably mounted in the retort for holding a charge of ore and other materials for the extraction of the metal, a heat shield attached to one end of the tube and a tubular member in said tube, said member having a foraminous wall for substantially the' length of the member, the member extending for substantially the length of the tube into contact with the shield, the latter having an opening through it opposite the contacting end of said member.

9. In an apparatus, for the extraction of metal from its ore by sublimation, having a retort and means for heating the retort, an inner tube removably mounted in the retort for holding a charge of ore and other materials for the eX- traction of the metal, a heat shield attached to one end of the tube and means on the heat shield suitable for releasable engagement therewith for the removal of the tube.

10. An apparatus for the extraction of metal from its ore by sublimation, comprising a furnace, a retort mounted in the furnace, an inner tube, provided with a longitudinal slot for substantially its length, removably mounted in the retort, said tube being adapted to hold a charge ofore and other .materials for the extraction of the metal, being withdrawn from the retort for the discharge of rtscharge when spent, a hopper mounted outside of the furnace in front of they retort for delivering a. charge to the tube through n tube mounted in the retort and removable' through the forward end of the latter for receiving a charge of the ore and other materials for the extraction of the metal, a. heat shield closing 01T the forward end of the tube except for one' or more vents in said shield, the rear end of the tube being open, engageable means on the heat shield and mechanism releasably engaging the engageable means for withdrawing the tube from the retort through the forward end of the latter and pushing it in again. -f

l2. An apparatus for the extraction of metal from its ore, comprising a retort, means for heating the retort, an inner tube removably mounted in the retort, said tube being adapted to hold a charge of ore and other materials for the extraction of the metal, mechanism for withdrawing the tube from the retort for the discharge of its charge when spent and for returning the tube into the retort when it has been recharged, and means for delivering a charge to the tube during the time it is moving into the retort for its return.

ARI'HUR OGREN. 

